Guttering dispute

boyse7en

Just got back from a weekend away to an answer message from the neighbors to our BTL property. They wanted to move the guttering downpipe on their house, and as we hadn't answered the phone had decided to go ahead and do it. Just popped around for a look to see what they were on about, and they have moved their downpipe onto our house!

It's a terrace of properties with shared guttering, and each house has a downpipe. Their one has now been positioned about 6" into our property, runs down the wall, then a pipe runs down the garden (on our side of the fence). This means we now have two downpipes on our property and they have none.

I'm f..s.. livid! :mad:

I'm sure they can't do this...can they?... I'm worried that if they sell up and move, the new owners will assume that the downpipe is ours, and we will be responsible for its upkeep (and any damage to their property if it gets blocked).

SquatNow

It's criminal damage, contact the police.

Edit: Can the OP block the guttering at the edge of their property and let neighbours gutters fill up??? I'm assuming the reason each house has it's own downpipe is so that each house can be ensure it's own gutters get emptied? Can't imagine there is any requirement to allow another houses waste water to use your pipes...?

dolce_vita

Of course they can't do this.

Get it sorted asap.

Debt_Free_Chick

Start off with the deeds to your property and the deeds to theirs (which you can probably download from the land registry, if the property is registered). You might need the deeds for the neighbours to their property too.

Where services are shared like this, there is often something in the deeds.

Loretta

boyse7en wrote: »

Just got back from a weekend away to an answer message from the neighbors to our BTL property. They wanted to move the guttering downpipe on their house, and as we hadn't answered the phone had decided to go ahead and do it. Just popped around for a look to see what they were on about, and they have moved their downpipe onto our house!

It's a terrace of properties with shared guttering, and each house has a downpipe. Their one has now been positioned about 6" into our property, runs down the wall, then a pipe runs down the garden (on our side of the fence). This means we now have two downpipes on our property and they have none.

I'm f..s.. livid! :mad:

I'm sure they can't do this...can they?... I'm worried that if they sell up and move, the new owners will assume that the downpipe is ours, and we will be responsible for its upkeep (and any damage to their property if it gets blocked).

Why would they want to do this?

DampProof

Cheeky B***ers,

Ask them to remove the pipework from your property and give them a cut off date by which to complete the work

Follow up with a letter if not completed, then threat of legal action

You are correct in being concerned. Don't know if your rainwater goes into a soakaway or the sewer system. If a soakaway, two roof loads of water may flood your garden in a heavy downpoor

Good luck

mlz1413

i agree with damp proof Cheeky Wotsits! How they dare go ahead because you didn't answer the phone!!

I'd contact them and say if you do the same is that alright?!

Tell them to remove this straight away or you will - it's your property you can.

thesaint

SquatNow wrote: »

It's criminal damage, contact the police.

Probably best to limit your advice to [strike]poncing [/strike] squatting.

clutton_2

gosh what an aggressive over-the-top load of responses -

why not just ring him up or better still knock on the door and TALK to him and find out why he did it - there may be a good reason - before going off half witted along some nonsensical legal/police route

roses

Was it causing damp in his house?

I got my guttering changed because it was giving me damp problems.

Now he's moved the damp problem to your house!